Why I loved Southampton's fine dining vegan restaurant

It’s on every menu and every restaurant, believed to be a suitable alternative to meat.

I’m bored, you’re bored, everyone is bored.

What is the answer?

A modern plant-based fine dining restaurant conveniently located on the QE2 Mile.

(Image: Newsquest)

Késarum – the ancient word for saffron - is a small but mighty restaurant, manned only by three incredible members of staff.

Although seemingly unassuming from the outside and flanked by larger buildings, behind the door is an incredible array of flavours that will leave your taste buds dancing.

Késarum serves creative vegan food with a contemporary twist that aims to expand and subvert people’s perceptions of vegan dining.

Tradition and convention have been discarded at Késarum. Instead, expect creativity and carefully curated flavours.

In tasting notes handed to diners, it is explained how the restaurant’s menus take three months to develop.

The team take a seasonal and scientific approach to the dishes, and it is all available to read, at your leisure.

The 'cheese' and 'beef' starters (Image: Newsquest)

The menu is equally as detailed, and after poring over it for several minutes, I opted for ‘beef’ tikka to start, while my guest chose the ‘blue cheese’ paneer.

Both were baked in the open kitchen’s clay oven in a special Pahadi. Both had similar accompaniments, including a Pahadi-baked fig, but were essentially very different.

While the ‘beef’ was moist and dressed in a beautiful ‘red wine’ sauce (or demi-glace), the ‘blue cheese’ paneer lacked moisture, and the fig was ultimately needed as a saving grace.

Beef was the last meat I ate before turning vegetarian, and I can say that the texture of the ‘beef’ tikka was near identical to a medium steak.

Of course, it tastes different, but paired with the fig and red wine sauce, it created a sensational flavour. I did not want my starter to end.

READ MORE: Southampton takeaway launches plant-based doner kebab

Our main courses soon arrived, with manager Mahesh quipping that my guest’s was a ‘spaceship with wings’.

The food was creatively presented and it felt too pretty to eat. But it didn’t stop us from tucking in.

I chose the Pahadi ‘chicken’ and Gucci mushroom biryani, served with aubergine raita, mint-fennel ‘yoghurt’, crispy onions, and three sous vide confit garam masala cherry tomatoes.

Unlike the ‘beef’ starter which was rich, this dish was fragrant and fresh, perfectly balanced between the curry itself and the accompaniments.

My guest opted for the ‘lamb’ rogan josh.

L-R: 'Lamb' rogan josh. 'chicken' biryani, fruity panna cotta and Indian bread and butter pudding (Image: Newsquest)

In her 30 plus years as a vegetarian, this was “nothing she has ever tasted before”, and I concur.

It is hard to put into words quite how spectacular it was as it can only be experienced yourself.

But four days on and I’m still thinking about it.

Feeling really quite full, we spoke about how lovely it was to go somewhere and not worry about the ingredients, to have free reign over a menu which is packed full of exciting dishes.

Then, two more dishes came our way in the form of dessert.

My stomach was groaning, but we ploughed on and shared a ‘gluab jamun’ panna cotta, and an Indian bread and butter pudding topped with Himalayan salted caramel.

Both were delicious and still, my expectations were exceeded (along with capacity of my stomach).

Head chef Pandiarajan (Image: Newsquest)

Food aside, Késarum is a remarkable restaurant.

With only three members of staff, you may expect service to be slow, but everyone was attentive, and the pace was perfect to enjoy the relaxed ambience.

If you’re looking for a fast-food establishment, this is not for you. Késarum is a place to soak up the atmosphere and excite the senses.